Saturday, October 24, 2009

THE HISTORY OF LINTANG BATANG

In Early year 1853 Libau RENTAP collected his men with the intention of attacking the Fort (Kubu) at Nanga Skrang, and pushed his way to the open South China Sea. When Brereton received the information that Libau RENTAP and his large group of war men were in their way coming down the river to attack the said Fort (Kubu) at Nanga Skrang, Brereton sent a message to Alan Lee who was the officer in charge of another fort at Nanga Lingga which was located ahead to the mouth of the Batang Lupar River after the Simanggang (Sri Aman) town.Alan Lee arrived at Skrang with a scratch party and heard that the Dayak Iban war men who was under the command of Libau RENTAP was approaching toward them at Fort Nanga Skrang. Alan Lee urger Brereton to defend the fort instead of attacking the Dayak Iban war men in the open But by his own plan Brereton had built a small stockade a few miles above up river from the Fort Nanga Skrang at a place called Lintang Batang and insisted that they should defend if from the attack.On the morning after Alan Lee and Brereton had arrived at Lintang Batang, Libau RENTAP have sent his two pilot war boats (Bangkong or Perahu Pengayau) down the Skrang River. A gun was fired from the fort at Nanga Skrang to stop the two war boats, but they took no notice of it. After that the Dayak Iban war men were approaching them and that the men in the two war boats were in a state of confusion after being fired at by the fort men, Brereton rushed forwrd to attack them in the open on the river. He was soon followed by Alan Lee. Their small boats were swamped by the heavy war boats of Libau RENTAP’s main fleet. Brereton’s small boat capsized, but luckily with difficulty he managed to save himself by swimming to the river bank. Alan Lee continued to fight against the Libau RENTAP war men fearlessly, but he was overpowered and killed , and fell into the Skrang River with his head almost severed from his shoulder. It was Layang, the son-in-law of Libau RENTAP, who chopped off Alan Lee’s head . Libau RENTAP and his war men then came under heavy fire from the stockade and had to retreat reluctantly upriver. It is uncertain whether or not Libau RENTAP and his war men was successful in taking Alan Lee’s head.On retreating upriver Libau RENTAP and his war men were heavily attacked by another Dayak Iban rival chief lead by Orang Kaya Gasing who had sided with the White Rajah. They also burnt down twenty longhousesbelonging to the Libau RENTAP and his war men.